The present invention relates to medical/surgical instruments and systems employing RF energy and/or monitoring or pacing devices and systems and the use thereof. In a variety of medical procedures, it may be desired to remove or cause the destruction of tissue, such as by ablation. Some examples of such procedures include, without limitation, electrical isolation of cardiac tissue to treat atrial fibrillation, ablation of uterine tissue associated with endometriosis, ablation of esophageal tissue associated with Barrett's esophagus, ablation of cancerous liver tissue, and the like. The foregoing examples are merely illustrative and not exhaustive.
In a number of the procedures in which tissue is ablated, it may be desirable to have a sensing and/or pulse generating capability. For example, when ablating cardiac tissue to control or treat atrial fibrillation, it may be desired to apply electrical pulses to the cardiac tissue or to sense for the presence of electrical signals to determine, for example, where the ablation should be carried out or whether the ablation has been successful or fully transmural (completely throughout the thickness of the tissue treated).
Because of the variety of functionalities of the devices that may be used in performing surgical ablation, a controller or “matrix router” may be advantageously used in the system to control the delivery of RF energy and/or other electrical signals to the ablation instrument.
While a variety of techniques and devices have been used to ablate or cause lesions in tissue, and/or to sense or provide pulse generating capability, the present invention provides a unique and non-obvious advance over prior devices and systems and offers unique utility not previously known or obvious.